In final days, Clinton is once again trying to make the election all about Trump

In the final days of the 2016 presidential race, Hillary Clinton’s campaign has a consistent theme: Donald Trump.

There was a point at which Clinton’s advisors had envisioned a more positive ending, but in the final days of a tight race, the Democratic nominee has backed away from emphasizing a sunny message of inclusiveness. Instead, she has dwelled repeatedly on a vision of a dark future of America under her opponent.

On Monday, the Democrats launched their version of Lyndon Johnson’s “Daisy” ad from the 1964 campaign, an apocalyptic warning about the dire consequences of turning over America’s nuclear arsenal to an untested and short-tempered leader — in this case Trump instead of Barry Goldwater.

Tuesday brought the campaign’s first television ad featuring Trump’s graphic boast, caught on an “Access Hollywood” video, about how he would grope women he found attractive and get away with it because of his fame.

And Thursday, at a rally here, Clinton was introduced by Mae Wiggins, whose application years ago to rent an apartment at a development owned by the Trump family was rejected — an incident that became part of a racial discrimination case against Trump and his father.

Trump, said Clinton, has spent his entire campaign offering “a dog whistle to his most hateful supporters.” She cited the endorsement of Trump earlier this week by the official newsletter of the Ku Klux Klan as proof those signals were being heard “loudly and clearly.”

“They said it’s about preserving white identity, and they placed their faith and hope in him,” she said, noting the endorsement was written under Trump’s slogan, “Make America great again.”

Join the conversation!

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse.